Peter Brian Jessup had turned 27 Thursday and decided to celebrate by hiking in the Maroon Bells.

"He liked to be alone in nature," said his half-brother Kip Jessup, of Newcastle. "It was like him to go off by himself. He was an experienced hiker."

Friday, the body of Peter Jessup, of Glenwood Springs, was recovered from the northern face of the 14,156-foot South Maroon Peak in the Maroon Bells wilderness area, about 12 miles southwest of Aspen.

"From the people on the scene, he was deceased for eight hours," said Ron Ryan, investigations director for the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office. "There was nothing to suggest anything other than an accidental fall."

Kip Jessup said it was unknown when his half-brother took off, but his family never worried about him because he was an experienced outdoorsman.

"He's gotten himself into situations where he had to stay the extra night, or get caught in a bad storm in the mountains," he said.

At 8:30 a.m. Friday, two hikers on South Maroon Peak spotted what appeared to be a body.

"They hiked to a higher peak to get cell service and called," said Ryan.

Two members of Mountain Rescue Aspen were dropped off on the mountain by helicopter. They hiked for two hours before locating the victim at 2:20 p.m. Friday. The body was taken off the mountain by helicopter around 4 p.m.

A native of Glenwood Springs, Peter Jessup graduated with a degree in philosophy from Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., in 2003. After graduation, he worked as a community organizer with Catholic Charities in Glenwood Springs.

"He was helping people in the valley to find affordable housing," said his brother.

Peter Jessup also pursued his love of the outdoors and began hiking in different places in Colorado and Utah, often doing two-day hikes. He was also an avid skier.

In February, he decided to go to South America and get his scuba diving certificate, so he could teach scuba diving. After running out of money, he returned to Colorado in May. This summer, he worked as a river guide for a rafting company in Glenwood Springs.

Peter Jessup had hoped to save enough money to go to Costa Rica, where he planned to teach scuba diving and English.

"He wanted to travel," said his brother. "Even though he loved Colorado, he wanted to see everything."

Services are pending.

In addition to his half-brother, Peter Jessup is survived by a sister, Jennifer Jessup of Denver, a half-sister, Morgan Jessup of Newcastle, his father, Ted Jessup of Newcastle, and his mother, Judy Britton of Glenwood Springs.